“I think we should do a podcast together.” —Christie Aschwanden
“Sure. What’s a podcast?”—Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Preview: Episode 100! Christie and Rosemerry Revisit Favorite Moments
How many fabulous projects start this way—with a laugh and leap into the unknown? It was the end of 2018 when Christie suggested we do a podcast together about creative process. Rosemerry, ever the luddite, had never even listened to a podcast. But in February of 2019, we launched Emerging Form. The podcast was then—and still is—a passion project, which is to say, we do this for the love of it. In fact, we spend our own money to do this for the love of it! To every one of you who is a paid subscriber, we thank you for helping us to fund our producer and continue to share this dream of exploring what it is to live a creative life.
In this episode, we notice how the form continues to emerge—how different our episodes are now than the fully scripted episodes we began with! We bring back clips from favorite moments and talk about how the podcast has changed us individually as artists and how it has informed our friendship. We talk about themes that continuously weave themselves through our episodes, and we laugh a bunch. It’s a celebration!
What We’re Reading and Listening to:
Rosemerry:
When one of your favorite poets comes out with a book of her new and selected poems, well, you have the chance to marvel at just what a difference once person has made in your life. For me, Jane Hirshfield’s book The Asking is such a volume … I love this book. I love rereading old favorites and reading the newest poems, too, from this poet who spent eight years studying Buddhism and three years in Tassajara with no electricity. She brings to the page such profound intimacy, skill, compassion and a wide-world view. I am even more in awe of her now.
I think I am one of the last to discover how much I love Maggie Smith’s book Good Bones, but I got it just before Thanksgiving and have loved reading it—so full of heart and intelligence. Filled with motherhood, divorce, tenderness and outrage, it’s a powerful collection.
If you love Colorado and you love reading, then Peter Anderson’s Reading Colorado: A Literary Road Guide is for you. It follows the highways throughout the state and includes snippets from articles and books by some of the state’s best writers both living and dead. Settle in your armchair for one of the best roadtrips you’ve ever been on.
Christie:
My heart was broken by the news that Rosalynn Carter had died. She was the most inspiring person I’ve ever met. I had the enormous privilege of receiving a Rosalyn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Reporting, and it was a career highlight for me. The Carter Center’s support for my reporting on mental health and military families gave me a huge boost and helped me connect with a community of amazing, supportive people. When I presented my project at the end of the fellowship, I broke down a little bit, talking about an interview I’d done with a military wife, and Rosalynn gave me a hug. I will never forget that hug. She really did care. This rememberance by Aaron Glantz explains her influence on mental health and journalism.
Oh how I love Anne Lamott, and I especially love her latest essay about aging. “In my younger days when the news was too awful, I sought meaning in it. Now, not so much. The meaning is that we have come through so much, and we take care of each other and, against all odds, heal, imperfectly. We still dance, but in certain weather, it hurts. (Okay, always.)”
This perspective piece is an unforgettable reminder that there is never a downside to being kind to a stranger. It might save their life.
Starlings in Winter
for Christie
Deep in the snowy woods,
we startle at the sound
of starlings as they braid
above the branches.
How often do I miss
the song of the moment?
But today, beside you
I could not miss
the sweet shushing of skis,
the sacred huff of breath,
the lyric of our laughter
and the strong refrain of my heart
as it wheeled like a starling,
a wild and soaring thing
drawn to fly with others,
ready to sing for no reason
except the joy of singing.
—Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
A Note About Paid Subscriptions:
First, we want to thank ALL our subscribers! We are so grateful you join us in this conversation about what it is to engage with yourself, the world and others in a creative way. And a BIG thank you to our paid subscribers. You make this podcast possible. Starting this month, only our paid subscribers will receive our bonus episodes as a thank you for their financial support.
This week, we interview our wonderful audio engineer Leah Shaw Dameron about her insights from the last year and also about her own creative projects. We’ve been so grateful to have her with us since January 2022, and now wish her well as she moves into a new life chapter. If you are not yet a paid subscriber, you can go now to our website, EmergingForm.substack.com, or by clicking the button below. Thank you!
Two Questions:
(share your answers with us here on Substack or in our FB group)
What moment from an Emerging Form podcast stands out to you?
How has Emerging Form helped you in your creative practice?
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